I responded to a freelance position for Planet Xbox 360, and I really wasn't expecting a reply back. Well, I was actually surprised when the editor-in-chief emailed me back asking if I was still interested. I accepted, and he put me on a two-week trial period where I could just write anything I wanted. He said by the end of the trial period he would let me know if he wanted to keep me around. So, I got started on my first article and submitted it about two days later. He loved it and said to keep it up.
Three days later, I was finished with my second article and submitted it to him. Later that same day, I got an email from him telling me he put up my first article. Of course, I thought that was cool, but what bothered me about the email was that it was the first time he spelled my first name wrong. I went to the site to see the article, and my name was spelled wrong there, too. I thought it was an honest mistake and emailed him about it, then went on to write my third article a day later. Three days later, I finished the article, but I was concerned about submitting it, since I haven't heard from him since the email I sent him. The mistake was still present on the site, as well. However, I figured he was just busy, due to the holiday season, so I went ahead and submitted my third article. At that point, I was in the middle of the second week of the trial period.
The second week came and went, and I never heard from him. I kept checking everyday after the deadline to see if he sent me a message about whether he liked what he saw from me, or wanted to pass. Nothing. About a week and a half later, I finally managed to get him to fix the spelling mistake in my name. I was actually surprised that he emailed me back so fast about it, and I was expecting a bigger response, thinking he accidentally forgot about me. Instead, I simply got this:
Lovely, right?
Anyway, fast forward to a day ago. I decided to check the site again, just in case he put up those other two articles with a simple "Staff" credit. I then took a glance at some of the more recent articles....
My articles got turned down in favor for this type of stuff? Really?
He also never paid me for that one article that was put up, so I'm figuring out if I can sue his ass for that.
CliffsNotes Version: Boo-urns, Eric M. Bush. Boo-urns.
aschultz Jan 26, 2010
Confidence, you say?
The old "if anything can get published..." kicked in.
I'd say email him once, then see if you can sue him in small claims court. I don't know about legal recourse, but it sucks to have this happen. Even if you don't win, you stood up for yourself.
EmP Staff Jan 26, 2010
hmd Jan 26, 2010
I am also lactose intolerant so congrats on putting milk on your top ten list , assbutt.
This is not an "article," this is an act of terrorism.
hmd Jan 26, 2010
This one sits at the top of the list mostly because they are pretty solid games, but it’s got very little in the way of franchise continuity. Lately we’ve seen a couple spin-off games that brought in existing characters, but Dissidia was arguably the Smash Bros. of the FF series. The games generally fail in one of the most crucial aspects that underlie the role-playing genre: choice. Even though in most games with a morality system you’re railroaded towards the same quests and plotlines, you can find different ways to do it. In FF games the choices usually boil down to whether or not you want to take the time to get every hidden item. Throw in the often-changing interfaces and the only things keeping any sense of continuity are Cid and his airships.
THERE IS NO CONTINUITY IN A SERIES THAT DRASTICALLY CHANGES WITH EACH NEW INSTALLMENT!? BULLSHIT!
hmd Jan 26, 2010
"Stay tuned for my official, and correct, review of Mass Effect 2 at midnight tonight - but until then please ignore the article this one is in response too; it is written with such ridiculous misinformation that it was obviously an attempt at free traffic. Each one of the author's points has been debunked by me in a short twenty-minute attempt, my 25+ hours with the game forced me to defend it's honor, for it is one fantastic piece of software."
Didn't this game come out today? How can you spend 25+ hours on a game that hasn't even been out for that long? And even if it was a review copy, don't these guys usually have to play other games at the same time, and as such, would not be able to play Mass Effect for that long?
This is my new favorite website. If I wrote a long, Tim Rogers-length article, would they accept it?
dementedhut Blogger Jan 26, 2010
And why is Pokemon and GoW even on that list? I know the site talks about other consoles from time to time, but you figured the list would be about Xbox series' or games that have shown up on the consoles.
Also, yeah, it's not so much about the money, but about the fact that he promised things that he just never followed through with. I'm surprised he still gets writers if he pulls this type of stuff off all the time.